Comments and Sharing

Two changes I'd like to see in a site redesign, both related to comments. One is to change the horrible grey text you use for the comments, that makes them hard to read. The second is that you link directly to the comments section of a post when somebody clicks on the comments link on the main page, not to the separate popup that it currently links to. Other than that, I suppose you could change the 3-column design for the main page to a more standard 2-column one, as I doubt anyone really looks at the right-most column and there's no reason those links can't just be tacked on to the bottom of the left column.

I think I like the old view better. In the new view the text of the blog posts (on the blog home page) is only in a narrow column, with two other columns, one to each side, and then a big white space to the right of the other columns.

Its a bit better when your on a page for a specific post, with only two columns, and the blog post text displayed wider, rather than in a very narrow view, but you still have a lot of wasted white space that could be used to display the blog post text. This would be particularly useful on long posts because it would prevent readers from having to scroll.

If this is the way its supposed to look, well I don't think its a good way to utilize screen space. If it isn't than I guess something is going wrong.

If it matters I'm using Firefox 3.03, on Windows XP, with a screen resolution of 1280x1024

Also I wish the links to the part of the site where normal links rather than javascript links. While typing this I tried to right click on Econlog, and select "open in a new tab", but I can't do that. I could (and did) do it on the link associated with the "Library of Economics and Liberty" in the upper left corner, and then once the new tab opened I could click on Econlog, but I'd rather not have to go through the extra step.

This new design is hard on my eyes, and I have good vision. The text is very small compared to almost every other blog, and the dual columns are an inefficient use of space.

I would advise getting rid of "most recent entries" (which is not too useful), and placing the blog roll on the left side. Then expanding the text space into the area where the right column used to be, and increasing the text to a more conventional size.

Thanks to all of you so far for your comments on the new design. Thanks, too, to the many readers who have emailed us. We're very impressed with the quality and constructiveness of the comments and email.

We've read and will continue to read comments here and all email to us at webmaster@econlib.org about the new design.

Second:

We appreciate your patience. Some very thoughtful ideas commented upon here may not be implemented immediately either because of our temporary time constraints this month or because there is difference of opinion. Please be assured that we are reading everything. Your independent votes and thoughtful input--in comments and email--do register and count with us. Please do carry on!

Blogging software: Powered by Movable Type 4.2.1.
Pictures courtesy of the authors.
All opinions expressed on EconLog reflect those of the author or individual commenters, and do
not necessarily represent the views or positions of the Library of
Economics and Liberty (Econlib) website or its owner, Liberty Fund,
Inc.

The cuneiform inscription in the Liberty Fund logo is the
earliest-known written appearance of the word
"freedom" (amagi), or "liberty." It
is taken from a clay document written about 2300 B.C. in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash.